I had heard that Bernard’s Bar in The Elysian was dark, sexy, hidden and throwback-lounge cool in a retro men’s club kind of way, but I had to finally settle into the chocolate brown-hued bar to also discover that besides their small but expertly crafted list of classic cocktails (and endless whiskey, bourbons and scotch selection) they make potentially the best complimentary bar snack in Chicago: housemade potato chips. Not only could I not eat just one, I pretty much couldn’t not clean the damn bowl out in between sips of a killer old fashioned. I’ve had a good housemade potato chip (Milk & Honey), but these crunchy, house-fried chips managed to have both puffy air pockets and flat crispy edges with the skin on. Not to mention the perfect amount of oil and sea salt, and were served in a classy silver bowl…Bernard’s-style.

Housemade potato chips

Of course, the stand-out old fashioned blew me away as well..making Bernard’s my new favorite downtown bar next to the Pen. Bernard’s Bar in the Elysian, 11 E. Walton